Life Changes
by his-red-head
Summary: When Reba was 19, her life changed when she found out she was pregnant. Fast forward to 2015. Reba is now 35, when her life changes again, as she witnesses a little girl get hit by a car. *Based on Reba McEntire (the person, not the show).*
1. Chapter One

**The main goal is to have this written in Reba's PoV. However, the first half is Natalie's PoV. The years and ages and such are changed (hopefully you'll get what I mean). Also, I apologize if this chapter is sort of weird.**

**Reba- 35**

**Natalie- 16**

**The year is 2015.**

* * *

**Natalie**

* * *

Her name is Natalie Marie McEntire and she's never had a place to call home or, people to call family. She grew up being tossed from one foster home, to the next. Natalie, for as long as she can remember, never stayed in a foster home for more than a few weeks at a time. It made her feel as if she was nothing special and it made her feel lonely and depressed.

To pass her time, Natalie loves to listen to country music, it calms her and in many ways, its her only friend.

Without a doubt Natalie's favorite singer, is the Queen of Country Music: Reba McEntire. Though she can't put her finger on a reason or, really explain why, she often found that Reba's voice sounded like something familiar, like home and it was soothing to her.

On Natalie's tenth birthday, her social worker Miss. Rodriguez gifted an iPod to her. The iPod had nothing but Reba's music on it, as she knew that Reba was the child's favorite singer. That's all Natalie ever really did, listen to Reba's music and sing her songs.

Aside from doing her school work and drawing, Natalie spent the vast majority of time, listening to Reba's songs. Of course, that included singing along to all of them. After listening to her songs on continuous replay, Natalie had memorized the lyrics to almost every song by Reba. If she was honest, it gave her a way to escape the world.

Fast forward to March 27th, 2015. Natalie's 16th birthday. She's being released from the foster care system, with no place to stay.

* * *

**Reba**

* * *

As a result of some poor decisions, Reba had become pregnant at the age of nineteen years old. Even though it happened unexpectedly, she was still overjoyed at the thought of being a mother.

The pregnancy itself, was easy. Reba went to each of her doctor appointments and did everything that she was told and supposed to do. The ultrasounds showed a healthy baby girl. Since the day Reba found out that she was having a girl, she had a name picked out for her. Natalie Marie McEntire

Natalie was a name that had a classy feel to it, Marie was a name that she had always liked and McEntire because, she didn't want her daughter to have the name of someone who didn't want her.

Reba's every intention was to keep Natalie. Everything was set to where she could. Her parents were going to help her, but they lost the house to foreclosure. That forced Reba, her parents and her little sister to move in with her grandparents on their farm on the outskirts of Nashville for awhile. There was no room for a baby and she was too far along to get a job. Her conservative grandparents wouldn't help her, they more or less refused to.

Reba was forced to give Natalie up for adoption. Her precious baby girl. It killed her and broke her heart, to do that. What made it worse, is the fact Natalie was born the day before Reba's 20th birthday- which was on March 28th.

For the past 16 years, Reba tried so damn hard to find Natalie. By becoming a well known country music singer, Reba had even more trouble finding her. She had trouble because she lacked the time, between the recording sessions and the concerts, it was hard on her. It made her feel depressed.

Fast forward to March 27th, 2015. It's Natalie's birthday and the day before Reba's. Her baby girl turns 16 today. Tomorrow, for her 35th birthday, Reba wants nothing more than to find Natalie and hold her. She desperately wants to apologize for all of the shit she has gone through. All because of a stupid choice that was made 16 years ago.

Reba had just walked out of her company; Reba's Business Inc., after signing papers that made it into an official business. That was pretty much going to be the highlight of March for her. Reba had hoped that the meeting would have helped in keeping her mind off of Natalie, but she knows it isn't going to work a single bit.

_Natalie, I miss you so damn much. Happy Birthday baby..._

Reba opened her car door and was just about to get in, when she looked up and seen this little redheaded girl who looked around Natalie's age, walking across the street. The girl was halfway across the street when a car came speeding down the street and hit her.

She flew a few feet in the air and landed on the hood, before sliding down to the pavement. The small backpack she had, ended up about twenty feet from where she landed and the contents were spread all around it.

As soon as it happened, Reba slammed her car door shut and took off running to her. When she reached the little girl, there were two major injuries that immediately caught her eye. The first injury was, her right arm had a been twisted, just below her elbow. The second injury looked to be the worst. It was a gash that curved from the outside corner of her left eye, to the corner of her mouth and it was bleeding heavily.

Reba grabbed the pack of tissues that she kept in her purse. Once she was able to get them out of the package, she immediately pressed them to the wound, trying to staunch the bleeding.

The girl started to moan and cry. Reba told her, "Hang in there sweetie, help will be here in a minute. I need you to try and stay awake. If I ask you questions, do you think you can answer them?"

The girl just nodded her head and whispered, "Yes ma'am."

She thought of a few things that she could ask her. "Can you tell me your name?"

Her voice sounded strained when she answered me. "My... My name is... is, Natalie."

_Oh my Lord. I wonder if this might be my baby girl._

Reba smiled gently as she brushed some hair out of the girl's face. "Natalie is a pretty name. Can you tell me your last name, honey?"

The girl was just barely able to whisper something that sounded like, "McEntire", before passing out.

_Holy shit..._

* * *

**So, did you like the first chapter of my Reba McEntire fanfic? If y'all have any feedback, please put them in the comments. I wasn't sure if this would turn out decently, but I think it turned out pretty darn good.**


	2. Chapter Two

**Hope you liked chapter one, here's chapter two!**

* * *

Reba immediately broke down into tears. It wasn't just because the child was injured, it was also because she might be her baby girl.

_My __Natalie__._

She didn't even notice that the ambulance had arrived until the paramedic laid a hand on her shoulder and said, "Excuse me, Miss."

Getting up from her place on the ground, Reba stood up and off to the side, watching everything unfold slowly in front of her. It had her scared to death, and worried. Looking down at herself, Reba noticed that her shirt and pants were covered in blood and she froze. She had never been good when it came to dealing with blood and she turned even more pale than her complexion. As she swayed, Reba was thankful for the paramedic that ran up to her and caught her before she hit the ground.

Reba woke up a few minutes later, as she felt herself being loaded into the ambulance, right along with the little girl. "Wh... What happened?"

"Well," the paramedic answered, "After looking down and seeing yourself covered in blood, you fainted. I'm guessing you don't deal with blood very well?"

Reba shook her head, "No, not really."

"Are you Natalie's mother? Or are you related to her in another way?"

_I __might __be __her __mother__. Hopefully __I __am __but__, __I __don't __know. __Fingers crossed._

Reba took a deep breath before answering the question. "I'm just a bystander who witnessed what happened and I am more than willing to ride to the hospital with Natalie, if she needs someone to ride with her."

The ambulance ride to the hospital was a blur. Reba had so many thoughts, so many questions running through her mind. The main thought was whether or not this little red head, was her daughter. She hoped with all of her heart and prayed to God that Natalie was her daughter.

Once the ambulance arrived to the hospital, Reba and Natalie were rushed into the trauma bay. The doctor had instructed Reba to wait in the hallway, so she wasn't in the way of anything. They needed a lot of space considering the amount of medical equipment and nurses the doctor needed.

After a half an hour of waiting out in the hallway, Reba was approached by the doctor. "Hello, I am Doctor Kallie Miller, but please call me Kallie. I am going to be attending to Natalie. May I ask what your name is?"

"My name is Reba. Reba McEntire."

Kallie's eyes grew to the size of dinner plates. "Uh... Umm... Can you please tell me what you witnessed today?"

Reba took a deep breath before saying anything. "I had just finished signing papers to make my company, Reba's Business Inc., an official business. As I was walking out of the building and getting into my car, I looked up and seen the girl walking across the street and seconds later, she was being hit by a car. She flew a few feet in the air and her backpack landed behind the car. I slammed my car door and rushed over to her. That's pretty much all that happened."

Doctor Miller looked down at her clipboard and wrote a few things down before continuing to speak. "Okay, is there any questions you might have?"

_Oh my Lord, I have so many of them._

Reba took a tissue out of her purse and wiped her eyes and nose before speaking in a shaky voice. "Yeah. I want to pay for any medical bills she might end up with. Could we get her into a private room? One last thing, is there any way we could have Natalie's DNA tested against mine?"

The doctor had a quizzical look on her face and an eyebrow raised. "Yes, to the first two. As for the last question, why do you want to get your DNA tested against hers?"

"Well, it's sort of a long story. When I was 19, I had a baby girl and had to give her up for adoption, and I named her Natalie Marie McEntire. When I asked the girl what her name was, she whispered that it was Natalie McEntire."

Kallie nodded her head before answering. "I see. Okay, let me notify the lab and we can arrange for the test to be taken."

Natalie had been moved to a more private room shortly after Reba had talked to Kallie. She had said, that there wasn't much in the way of visible injuries but if there were any internal injuries like broken bones and such, they would show up on the x-rays and cat scan.

After 2 hours of waiting, the results for the x-rays, cat scan and DNA test were back. When she walked into the room, Kallie startled Reba, when she spoke. "So, we have the results back for everything. Miss Natalie, is a very lucky girl. She has a severe sprain in both of her wrists. They won't require casts, just an ace wrap for her wrists. The most serious injury is the big gash on her face, that required 15 stitches. The only thing she'll need is: rest, her gash kept clean and Tylenol or Ibuprofen when in pain. Also, you can alternate between putting cold and hot compresses on each of her wrists and maybe place cold packs on her cheek- onlyifshe can tolerate it."

Kallie bit her lip before smiling softly at Reba. "As for the DNA test, Natalie's DNA matches yours. Congratulations Miss McEntire, you have just found your daughter."

_Oh, Natalie. My babygirl... I've finally found you._


	3. Chapter Three

**For the sake fanfiction, Reba and Narvel are not married. They have been divorced since Shelby was 2, so they've been divorced for 6 years. Don't know if I've stated that already.**

**NOTE: Keep in mind that it's 2015. Reba is 35, Natalie is 16 and Shelby is 8.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

_My __baby__. __My __precious __baby girl__._

Reba has spent the last 16 years searching for Natalie, and now, she has finally found her. There are so many thoughts running through her mind.

_Will Natalie hate or resent me?_

_Will she be happy to have me as a mom?_

_Am I going to be a good mother?_

_So many what __ifs__._

Years ago, Reba had promised her mom, Jackie, that if she ever found Natalie, she would be the first one to know. With that thought in mind, Reba pulled out her cellphone and called her mom.

"Hey, mama."

"What's wrong sweetheart, you sound like you've been crying."

Letting out a sob, Reba whispered, "Mama, I... I found her."

Jackie sounded confused, and Reba understood why. They hadn't really talked about Natalie very much. It was too painful. "Found who?"

"I found her, mama. I found Natalie." she sniffled. Running her fingers through her hair, Reba continued speaking, "I can't say too much. She was in a car crash that I witnessed. Other than that, I know nothing of what happened before the accident."

Reba's mom gasped, "Oh sweetheart, I'm glad you finally found her. I'm going to get off the phone so you can be with her. I love you, Reba."

"Love you too mama." After Reba got off the phone with her mom, she put the phone in her purse and leaned her head back against the chair and dozed off.

* * *

Reba woke up a couple hours later, when she heard a rustling noise.

_What. Wait, where am I? Oh..._

She looked over to see Natalie thrashing around and whimpering. Her heart broke at the sight of her little girl being uncomfortable, so she hit the call button for the nurse.

Motherly instincts kicked in, as Reba sat on the edge of her hospital bed and started to hum a random song as she ran her fingers through Natalie's fiery red hair.

_Fiery red __hair__, just like mine._

Just as she hummed the last little bit of the lullaby, the doctor came into the room. "Hello Miss McEntire. I..."

She smiled at the doctor and nodded my head, "Please, Kallie, call me Reba."

"Yes ma'am. I was just getting ready to come in and check on Natalie, when the call button was pressed. Can you tell me what happened and why you pressed the call button?"

"I had dozed off for a little bit and then when I woke up, I seen Natalie thrashing around and whimpering. Is Natalie in any pain? Will she wake up soon?"

"Sh-" Kallie was cut off as Natalie stirred and started to wake up.

Natalie's eyes were half opened, and as she tried to look around she asked, "What happened and why am I in a hospital?"

Kallie walked over to the side of her bed and sat on the edge of it. "Natalie, you were hit by a car. Do you remember anything detail wise?"

Natalie closed her eyes and took a deep breath before she answered, "I... I had just got released from the foster care system. As soon as I got outside, I put my headphones in and turned on my iPod and the song 'I'll Be' by Reba McEntire was playing. Th... Then I crossed the street, seen the car just before it hit me and the next thing I know, I wake up here in the hospital."

_Oh __my __God, I wrote that song for her__. __She __listens __to __my __music__._

Kallie looked at her and asked, "Okay then, on a scale one to ten, how would you rate your pain? One being in barely any pain, and ten being the worst pain ever."

"Uh... It's about an 8."

Kallie nodded and made note of her pain level. "Alright, little lady. Since you only have two badly sprained wrists and a large gash that we stitched up, I'm going to get you a script for Ibuprofen and some discharge papers and you are free to go, once an adult can sign them for you."

Natalie looked down at her lap and was wringing her hands when she said, "I... I have no adult to sign for me an... and I don't have a place t... to go."

_Finally__, __I __get __to __bring __my __baby __home__. __Home...__where __she __belongs__._

Reba took a deep breath before saying the thing that would change both of their lives forever.

_Oh__, __boy__. __Well__, __here __goes __nothing__._

"Actually, Natalie, not only do you have someone to sign for your discharge papers, you also have a place to stay."

Natalie's head quickly snapped to the left side of her bed where Reba was sitting. The look on her pale face was priceless, and you could tell that shocked and she couldn't believe it.

She looked shocked as she yelled out, "OH MY GOD! WAIT... WHAT?"

Raising an eyebrow, Reba smiled softly. "I take it, you know who I am?"

She squealed, "Of course I do! You are Reba _freaking_ McEntire, my favorite singer, not to mention that you're also... just..."

Natalie squealed excitedly and it was adorable. The squealing stopped a couple minutes later when she needed to take a deep breath and calm down.

"Not to sound rude or anything, but why are you here?"

"The short version is, that I had just finished signing the papers for my new business and was getting ready to get into my car. I looked up and as soon as you went to cross the street, a car was speeding down the street and hit you. Someone called 911, I sat with you until the ambulance came. Once they got you ready for the ambulance ride to the hospital, I rode with you. Fast forward about five hours and we're here."

_How am I supposed to explain the full 16 year long story? _

Kallie handed Reba the clipboard that she had in her hands, so that she could sign Natalie's discharge papers. She knew her hands were shaky, and she hoped that Kallie could read her signature. Everything felt so surreal and Reba honestly couldn't believe it, it felt like it was a dream.

_A __dream come __true__._

* * *

After Kallie gave Natalie a pair of purple scrubs to change into, they were finally able to leave the hospital. Of course, since Reba was extremely famous, they had to leave via the side door and, thankfully Reba's manager was able to arrange for her Jeep to be dropped off, making their exit, quick and easy.

Reba could tell Natalie was confused about why they couldn't leave using front entrance. "Reba, why can't we go out the front doors of the hospital? Is it because of the paparazzi and how famous you are?"

As the doors opened, she nodded her head. "Yes, it's because of the paparazzi. Since they've probably seen what happened, or know of it, it's more than likely that they have followed us and are camped out at the front doors of the hospital."

Natalie replied, "Oh, that makes sense."

* * *

The drive home was relatively quiet, aside from the soft snores coming from Natalie as she dozed off with her head against the window of my car.

_The poor kid is exhausted. I want her to get some rest once we get home, but I __need to tell her everything... God, I'm terrified and nervous of what her reaction might be._

When she pulled into the driveway, Natalie was still sound asleep. Since she was still sleeping, Reba decided to pick her up and carried her inside. As she set her down on the couch, she woke up, yawned and rubbed at her eyes.

"Reba, where are we?"

_Right where you belong, baby girl. Right where you belong._

Reba toed her shoes off and tossed her keys, purse and phone onto the coffee table. Then she helped Natalie sit up on the couch while she sat down next to her. "We are at my house, just about 15 minutes from Nashville. So Natalie, do you have any questions for me?"

She took a few minutes before she answered, "Only a few. First, is my iPod okay?"

_That's kind of an odd question to ask._

"Sorry, but it was crushed when you were hit. I take it that it was important to you?"

Natalie's cheeks blushed a light shade of pink as she quietly said, "It... it uh... had all of your songs on it. My case worker gave it to me on my tenth birthday. Ever since then, I would listen to your songs whenever I was feeling sad or anxious, which was pretty much everyday. Not to sound weird or anything, but your voice is soothing and felt like home..."

"Oh Natalie, I am honored that you feel that way. Any other questions?"

Natalie looked at Reba and what she asked her, made her heart temporarily stop. "Do you have any kids?"

_Lord, give me the wisdom of what to say and the strength to say it._


	4. Chapter Four

**Huge shout-out to FancySouthernBelle on Wattpad for making the cover for this story and for helping me out with this chapter and Natalie's reaction!**

* * *

_Lord, give me the wisdom of what to say and the strength to say it._

Taking a deep breath, Reba counted to ten. "Yes, I have two kids. I have one girl, and one boy."

Natalie asked, "What are their names?"

"Shelby is eight and Natalie... She's sixteen..." Reba took another deep breath. This was going to be a hard conversation- on her end and maybe Natalie's too.

_Well... H__ere goes nothing._

"Natalie honey, can I tell you something? Without you getting upset with me?"

Natalie nodded her head yes and replied, "Yes, ma'am." The way she said it was so polite.

Reba closed her eyes for a few moments and hoped to God, that Natalie would not hate her. Reba honestly, didn't think she could handle it very well, if she did.

"When I was nineteen, I went out to a party with some friends of mine. I met this one guy, and we got to talking and drinking. One thing led to another and we ended up sleeping together. A few months later, I found out that I was pregnant." Reba had to pause a minute to gather herself, she didn't know what Natalie's reaction would be, and it made her extremely nervous.

"Once I found out that I was pregnant, I was very happy, but the baby's father wasn't. I haven't seen or heard from him since the day that I told him I was pregnant. Fast forward six months later, and little Natalie was born." Reba sighed, "Unfortunately, due to my living situation, I was forced to give her up for adoption."

Cocking her head sideways in curiosity, Natalie asked, "What's her full name?"

Reba could feel the tears welling up in her eyes as she replied, "Her full name is Natalie Marie McEntire."

_Natalie knows. Now, my baby girl __knows the truth..._

Natalie sat there, her mouth slightly open in shock. She looked almost like a statue. Tears began to well in Reba's eyes and she thought, this was it. Her baby girl would hate her, and the thought made her feel heartbroken.

_She's going to hate me for telling her._

"I-...are-...are you sure...?" she croaked out, barely above a whisper.

"Yes, honey. I am one hundred percent sure." Reba half sobbed, her heart racing as she waited for Natalie to give some sort of reaction.

_Please say something. Anything._

Natalie let out a breath that she seemed to have been holding and surged forward, her arms surrounding Reba in a hug, that left her almost breathless.

_Maybe... Maybe she's not mad._

"Mama... I've waited so long for this, Mama." she sobbed.

Then Reba realized that they were happy tears.

_Thank you Lord! They were happy tears. __My baby girl doesn't hate me._

Natalie sniffled in between her cries as Reba moved her arms to hold her tight.

"I'm so glad you're my mama... Always dreamed you were, but never thought it could be true." she whimpered, almost inaudible to her, but Reba heard it.

Natalie wasn't mad at her, not at all. She was beyond happy. No, she was _ecstatic._

After a few minutes, Natalie's sobs and sniffles had quieted down. Reba looked down at Natalie who was curled up in her lap. She had fallen sound asleep.

Before Reba stood up and carried Natalie to the guest bedroom, next her her room, Reba whispered softly, "I love you Natalie. Just know, I am more than happy to be your mama."

_So damn happy._


	5. Chapter Five

**Warning: This chapter will contain mentions of minor abuse; mental and physical, and swear words. You might want to have a box of Kleenex nearby, if you're sensitive to this stuff. There will be more nightmares in the future, so keep that in mind.**

**This chapter was kind of hard to write, but it was necessary for the story. The reason might Natalie act "baby-ish" throughout the story, is due to what she went through mentally and also, she's a little girl who needs her mama (heck, I'm 21 and still need my mama). Also, shout-out to** **FancySouthernBelle on Wattpad. ****She helped me a little, and she's a good friend too!**

* * *

It was around midnight and Reba could not sleep, to save her life. So much had happen in less than twenty-four hours. She has her baby girl back and Natalie is everything Reba had imagined that she would be, and more.

"NO! DON'T HURT ME! NO! PLEASE! NO!"

As soon as she heard Natalie scream, Reba took off running next do to the guest bedroom, where she had laid Natalie down. Hearing her daughter scream like that, made her heart drop into her stomach. No mama wants to hear that kind of scream come out of their child.

_Oh God, my poor baby!_

The sight Reba had walked in on, was absolutely devastating. Heartbreaking even. There laid Natalie, tossing and turning. She was crying and screaming and looked like she was trying to block someone from hitting her. The look on her face was twisted in pain and it was making her face turn bright red.

_I wonder what she's going through..._

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Reba gently placed a hand on Natalie's thigh and gently shook her. Natalie opened her eyes and started to sob as soon as Reba pulled her onto her lap.

Natalie had her face buried in the crook of Reba's neck and her tears were steadily rolling down her cheeks. The sobs coming from her, were making her little body shake like a leaf in a windstorm.

_Dear Lord, please help me calm Natalie down. Help me to stay strong for her._

Reba, after a couple of minutes, carefully stood up and carried Natalie into her bedroom. She didn't even bother setting her down, Reba just sat down on her bed and held her tightly. "Shhh, Natalie. Mama's got you, baby girl. Ain't nobody gonna hurt you. You're safe... Shh..."

Carefully, Reba pulled the covers back and slid underneath them, sitting back against the headboard, cradling Natalie to her chest. She was running her fingers through Natalie's long, curly hair. "You don't have to if you don't want to, but honey if you want to talk about it, I'm here to listen."

_I need to hear what happened in her past. But I'm not too sure I am strong enough to handle it. Oh, help._

Sniffling, Natalie started to speak softly. "I don't remember much from when I was younger, from living in the group home. They put me into a foster family, when I was eight. For the first month, everything was great; they spoiled me, treated me as one of their own, and were really nice."

Natalie took a deep breath and started to cry a little bit more. "Then one day, I snuck a cookie out of the cookie jar. The dad, he was very drunk- more so than normal. And he... he hit me. He hit me Mama. Gave me a black eye and bloody nose. The mom tried to stop him, but he pushed her into the wall and screamed at both of us."

Reba gave Natalie a tighter hug and whispered, "What else happened?"

"He called me a 'stupid little shit', and then he sent me to bed without dinner."

She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, "It continued to happen, over and over again. Year after year. He never left marks that were noticeable, he called me so many names. It... Mama, it was so awful."

_God, damn him! How could someone treat a child like that?_

"Oh, Natalie," Reba sighed as she kissed the top of her head, "I promise you, that _nobody _is ever going to hurt you. Not again, I'll make sure of that."

"I love you, Mama."

_My heart just melted. She called me Mama. Here come the tears... _

As she sat and thought about all that Natalie went through, Reba started to cry. It was silently, of course. Because she didn't want Natalie to know just how upset and effected she was, over her treatment while she was in foster care. If she had only found her sooner. If only.

"Mama loves you too, baby girl. Mama loves you with all of her heart."


End file.
